Yesterday was my first road race ever. I went with my friend Andrew down to Suffolk, VA to do the Sleepy Hole Smackdown. For several reasons, I chose to do the Cat 4 men’s race: it started later and would allow me to avoid driving down the night before, Andrew was doing that race, the field was bigger, etc. My legs felt good going into the race and the course looked deceptively easy. It was a flat half-mile paved loop with two ninety-degree turns and two sweeping turns.

The race started and things seemed to be going well enough. Andrew and I separated pretty early; he went near the front, while I moved around from the front-ish to the middle. It amazed me to see how quickly things shifted in the pack. One second I’d be riding with a group, then suddenly I’d be riding alone and people would be flying past me or dropping back. I think I made a lot of dumb mistakes. On the stretch with the strong headwind, I kept finding myself riding solo or pulling other people. I also couldn’t seem to stay with a group because nobody seemed to be doing anything consistent.

Fifteen minutes in, the guys ahead of me reformed into a pack. I came up to the start/finish area and saw Andrew ahead of me, riding next to a guy who was about four feet to his right. I surged into that gap, but the guy on the right didn’t see me, moved to the left, and plowed into me. My wheel hit Andrew’s back wheel (fortunately, he was able to ignore it and keep going), and then I crashed. I remember hearing a lot of noise as the bike smashed into the ground; spectators said I went flying over the bars and hit the asphalt. The people who waited for the ambulance with me gave it a 9/10 and 10/10 for style and magnitude.

It was incredibly painful. The x-rays of my back and left elbow (the worst of the internal pain) showed no fractures, so I’m just left with a lot of bruising, swelling, and scrapes. As far as the crash goes, I know it was just something that happened, but I can’t stop wondering if it was my fault, the other guy’s, or just a freak accident. My inexperience certainly didn’t help. I think he came out of it okay – I was told he got up and was walking around, albeit with some road rash. Because of where we crashed, the race had to be stopped and restarted once the medics moved me off the course.

I’m going riding in a few hours to see how it feels, and I intend to stick with my plans to race Black Hills and Richmond next weekend. Crashes happen, things get hurt, bikes break. But what am I going to do, not race? That’s not even an option. I was pretty damn scared yesterday, laid out on the pavement and then strapped to a back board on my way to the hospital, but what scared me was that I didn’t know how long I’d be unable to ride. As my mother said last night when I called to give her the news, “This is what you do. This is who you are.” So I guess that means it’s time to get back on the bike.

15 thoughts on “How I took out the Cat 4 men’s race.”

  1. Sat next to a board member last night who relayed some of his “adverntures” in his more youthful years. He shattered both eardrums barefoot water skiing; broke his arm and leg after crashing his motorcycle; broke the other leg and gashed his head while running and slipping off a cliff. He’s been chased by coyotes during a run in Colorado; and barely missed being torn apart by a pack of wild dogs by scaling a chain link fence. When asked if he would NOT have done any of those things again….his reply “Nah, I just live life a little more than others!”

  2. Just curious – if this was your first ever race, why did you choose the men’s CAT 4 as opposed to the women’s CAT 4? With your inexperience level, you certainly didn’t have any business in a higher-level MEN’S race. There’s certainly no issue with women being able to ride in the men’s races if they can keep the pace. But it’s pretty evident that you shouldn’t have been there and liekyl contributed to the crash that not only injured you but someone else as well. Obviously, things could have been MUCH worse. Maybe USA Cycling should require women to complete a certain number of mass starts in their OWN CAT 4 before being allowed to randomly upgrade when they clearly aren’t ready. CAT 5 men have to do it – why shouldn’t the women?

  3. There is an old saying: “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want”. The Sleepy Hole Course is the toughest crit course on the VCA calendar. The old Waterside crit in Norfolk was harder.
    You’ll learn to read a race to be able to predict what happens. It’ll get pretty easy to read a 4 race, as you don’t have much teamwork going on, just individual sorties mostly.
    Mend quickly!

  4. I would say this is a result of bad circumstances. The men’s cat 5 and cat 4 fields can be very sketchy as a lot of riders are learning how to ride/race in packs. That being said, you should have registered for the women’s cat 4 race (there’s a reason why there is a women’s cat 4 category), since you have never been in a road race before. Additionally, even though it is obvious that you know how to ride in certain circumstances, you should never try to surge into a gap unless you let them know you’re coming in. Additionally, one of the cardinal rules of road bike racing is to NEVER overlap your front wheel with the rear wheel of someone in front of you.

    This is in no way meant to berate or make you feel bad, just some advice from someone who also had to learn it the hard way.

    I certainly hope the road rash heals up and good luck in your upcoming races!

  5. I have yet (knocking on all the wood around me) to go down on the road bike, though I’ve come close. After those pictures I hope to keep that record going.

    So the really important question: how’s the bike?

  6. What is a woman cat.4 who has never raced on road before doing racing the first one in a mens 4 race.??????????????

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  8. Glad that you’re more or less OK, that’s for sure. Crashes happen, and crashes happen a lot. Welcome to racing, and this is part of it (unfortunately).

    Unfortunately, in this situation, it kind of was your faul for causing the crash, as the person that moved into you, was in front of you, and he can’t see you coming up from behind. I kind of use the old skiing rule that anyone in front of you, you are responsible for, because, like I said, they can’t see you, and it’s really not too safe during a race to be looking behind you. Eyes front, and watch your front wheel, and the folks immediately around you.

    I did find it interesting that you raced your first race in a cat. 4 men’s field. Not saying you didn’t have the fitness, but most of the time, if it’s a men’s 4 only field, these guys have at least 10 mass start races behind them (and usually a lot more), and have some more experience in races. The ebb and flow that you described, is normal for the men’s 4 races. No doubt about it.

    I am glad that you’re going to go back and race again. Sometimes it takes some more experience, but don’t be afraid to get in there, and rub elbows again.

    Good luck.

  10. Regardless of fault, racing is inherently dangerous. Racing takes courage, tenacity, …….and anyone who does it long enough ends up hitting the pavement. I congratulate you on your desire to race in the first place and your courage to get back on the bike and race again. With more races comes the wisdom of experience and you will naturally handle the bike better wile learning to avoid dangerous moves or situations. I don’t agree with those laying blame in the posts above. Best wishes for quick healing.

  13. Hi – i commend your excitement to race, but really have to say that it’s important to respect that racing is dangerous and you should learn the ropes with similar riders (ie: women, cat 4) before jumping into faster races.
    Even the strongest riders, mtn bikers, triathletes, can come into road racing and not do so well their first few times. In this sport the strongest person doesn’t always win.
    And – add to the fact that women’s racing is hurting for participants in our own fields. If we don’t support our own women’s race fields, the promoters have and will remove our races.

    Good luck in the future. This accident could have very well happened in a mens or womens race, but just the fact that a girl was racing with guys and took some out, really doesn’t bode well for girl racing…they already look for any reason to not like women racing in their fields.
    Hope you heal fast.

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